Ten partner organizations to receive workforce development grants that will collectively leverage $1 million to help connect over 1,000 New Haven students and young adults to meaningful career exploration opportunities, industry certifications, and good-paying jobs.  

(Video: Watch the news conference in its entirety here.)   

NEW HAVEN, CT – Today, Mayor Justin Elicker, joined by other civic, city, and elected leaders, announced the first round of grants for the City of New Haven’s Career Pathways Initiative, a new youth career readiness and workforce development program designed to help connect New Haven high school students and young adults with meaningful career exploration opportunities and to provide them with the education, skills, and training needed to obtain specialty certifications and good-paying jobs within key professions and growing industries.  

In this first round of grants, the City of New Haven will provide approximately $1 million in funding across ten partner organizations that were selected through an RFP process to receive one-year grants of up to $100,000 to help develop or expand career pathways programming and services.  Collectively, these organizations will serve over 1,000 young people interested in such fields as bioscience, computer science and coding, construction trades, healthcare, manufacturing, and more. A second round of applications and grants will be made available by summer 2023. 

“The Career Pathways Initiative is designed to help educate, equip, and empower our young people to help them identify and unlock their own potential, pursue their own vocational passions and interests, and obtain good-paying jobs and meaningful careers,” said Mayor Justin Elicker. “Today’s grant recipients are incredible partners in this mission and work and by supporting and expanding their programs through these grants, we will help connect over a thousand of our young people to internships, specialty certifications, and employment opportunities within growing industries, enabling more of our residents to be successful in the workplace and in life.”  

“The Career Pathways Initiative is about much more than creating jobs. It’s about eliminating the systemic economic barriers that have undermined the earning power of communities of color in New Haven for far too long,” added Board of Alders President Tyisha Walker-Myers. “This funding provides the support needed to start addressing that imbalance in meaningful, impactful ways by creating a pathway to prosperity for everyone in our community.” 

Grant recipients were chosen based on how closely their proposals aligned with the intended purpose of the funding, which seeks to promote economic empowerment and reduce the racial wealth gap by enhancing career readiness in key skill-based sectors. Organizations with the greatest emphasis on employment and education placement received the most consideration, and focused on one or more of the following key sectors: bioscience, computer science and coding, construction trades, creative economy, green energy, healthcare, manufacturing, public safety, or transportation and logistics.  

The announcement took place at Connecticut Center for Arts & Technology (ConnCAT), the New Haven-based health sciences and culinary professions job training campus, which is one of the ten partner organizations receiving a grant. The funding will help cover the enrollment of 35 candidates in one of ConnCAT’s newest programs, a 31-week medical assistant training program developed in partnership with Yale New Haven Health.  

"Our programs at ConnCAT have been designed to help fuel each student and support them in their own missions to becoming successful on their own terms. We pour into each student's growth and development through our medical and culinary programs and we help inspire each student to take on the difficult work ahead,” said Erik Clemons, Interim CEO and President, ConnCAT. “For the last decade, we have proven that love, hope, and commitment to a community can uplift its residents and this funding from the city will help us continue that meaningful work." 

In addition to ConnCAT, other first-round grant recipients include: CT Violence Intervention Program, District Arts Education, EMERGE, Junior Achievement, LEAP, MATCH Inc., NAACP CT, Urban Community Alliance, and Youth Entrepreneurs.  

Representatives from each organization were in attendance and remarks were shared by Alder Troy Streater (Ward 21); Erik Clemons, Interim CEO & President of ConnCAT; Henry Fernandez, Executive Director of LEAP (Leadership, Education and Athletics in Partnership, Inc.); Shirley Ellis-West, Executive Director of Urban Community Alliance; Corrie Betts, Chair of Criminal Justice Committee for the NAACP CT; Dr. Laquita Joyner-McGraw, Founder of Youth Entrepreneurs; among others.  

“We are thrilled to be among the organizations awarded these funds,” added Shirley Ellis-West, Executive Director of Urban Community Alliance, which will be using the grant for its Vetts Youth Mentoring Program. “These resources will help us generate greater insights and awareness about how to create viable opportunities for the young people we serve - opportunities that will give them hope, allow them to build wealth, and achieve the future they dream of.”   

NAACP CT President Scot X. Esdaile stated, “The NAACP is looking forward to expanding our efforts with the Million Jobs Campaign throughout the Greater New Haven Community. We are excited to have the opportunity to help move the needle forward in job development with young adults between the ages of 18 to 25.” 

"The funding through the City’s Career Pathways initiative provides a new day for the New Haven tweens and teens of Youth Entrepreneurs who make up what we call the ‘Genius Generation.’ It will allow us to continue to ignite the young entrepreneur’s career-driven spirit to become a new generation of positive thinkers ready to take the world by storm," said Dr. Laquita Joyner-McGraw, Founder of Youth Entrepreneurs. 

“New Haven continues to lead the state in overall economic performance, which is made possible by the talent and diversity of the entire community,” added New Haven Economic Development Administrator Michael Piscitelli. “Together with our partners, we are opening up access to meaningful careers for our high school students and young adults.” 

The initiative is funded through the City’s allocation of federal American Rescue Plan dollars (ARPA) as well as the State & Local Recovery Fund (SLRF).  

A summary of each program and the estimated number of people served is below. 

(The news conference can be viewed its entirety here)

PRESS CONTACT 

Lenny H. Speiller; (203) 725-4249; Lspeiller@newhavenct.gov